Class Discussion

The discussion about Rural Studio got me thinking about the perception of town’s people in small towns when an “outsider” tries to help. After the meeting in Denmark it is apparent that they can either welcome the help as mere interest in helping the community or turn down the help because of the “hand-out” feeling. I thought the town would have a negative opinion of college students coming into their town to point out the pros and cons. For the most part I was mistaken and they welcomed our input and appreciated us listening to what they had to say.

I was surprised to find out about the negative response to the Rural Studio’s housing project. On the trip there a few years ago we missed out on opinion from people other than those that currently live in the projects. The point about the baseball field was a good idea. Catering to the group rather than the individual can prove to have a more positive outcome. Once the town realizes the intentions they may be more open to further development.

This may be useful when we go back to down to Denmark. Areas that affect the majority may be the first phase of attention. This may achieve a greater community involvement. Even though there already seems to be a great deal of involvement. After watching the film on rural schools it appears that this would be the first area to work on. I’ve seen some bad school conditions working for Berkeley County School District, but the images of the documentary were 10 times worse.

4 Little Girls

Well 4 Little Girls was an appropriate movie to watch on MLK day. I wasn’t prepared for how intense this movie is. I’ve lived in the South for the majority of my life and have heard many stories of racism, but seeing it at its prime and at the extent of the violence on the film was ridiculous. Aside from the obvious feelings that arise from the stories from the families, the scenes that evoked the most emotion were the scenes when the Alabama politicians openly spoke for segregation. It was so bizarre that I started laughing when Governor Wallace was talking. Then I laughed even more when he was trying to take back everything because of his one black “best friend.” I always find it hard to believe how recent this actually occurred. This occurred when my parents were around my age. It’s scary that a lot of what happened in that documentary still happens. In the area that my family lives near Charleston there is a strong Klan affiliation, cross burnings and all. However, hearing and seeing it can definitely change reactions to it.